[ Thanks to Kellie
for this link. ]
“IBM has embraced Linux with an enthusiasm that has surprised
many industry watchers. While a true Linux evangelist might think
that this is merely a recognition of the inevitable, one might
argue that there is more to it than that.
A quick view of the statistics regarding operating systems
market share and growth will convince one that the Linux movement
is real. A vendor whose core product(s) are in direct competition
with Open Source software on commodity hardware might rightfully be
alarmed by this development. IBM’s unique position as a computer
vendor with a vast array of offerings, in hardware, operating
systems, and middleware, allows a more enlightened view. Linux
represents a major business opportunity for IBM, and IBM has
responded to this market opportunity with an estimated investment
of over $1B.
The market in which IBM exists has experienced many major
paradigm shifts in recent memory. The technology shift from CISC to
RISC (Complex Instruction Set Computing: large number of
instructions, most operating in several machine cycles. Reduced
Instruction Set Computing: fewer, more primitive instructions, each
operating in a single machine cycle), is one example. The shift in
supercomputing from vector architectures to parallel architectures
is another. Many others could be cited but are of less immediate
interest.”